Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention is related to a bottle sleeve and more particularly to a bottle sleeve made of fabric which envelopes a small bottle allowing a small animal to grip the bottle during feeding.
Artificially nursing animals has been practiced for many years. The causes of such action vary, but include the death of the animal""s mother, abandonment by the animal""s mother, and physical/medical conditions of the animal""s mother. In each of these circumstances, the infant animal is unable to nurse and is therefore unable to obtain the nutrients necessary to maintain its existence. Without a substitute animal xe2x80x9cMotherxe2x80x9d or an artificial nursing system, the infant animal""s chances of existence are greatly reduced.
Providing surrogate animals has been attempted with varying levels of success. Some infant animals may be accepted by a surrogate animal mother, however, there is no guarantee a suitable animal will exist at the necessary time or if the surrogate animal mother will accept the infant animal and allow it to nurse.
Other systems have attempted to nurse animals with a man-made or artificial nursing system. The most common system is one that closely resembles the system currently used by many humans and their own children. In both systems, an artificial nutrient is prepared and provided to the infant via a bottle and nipple. This system is very efficient in feeding human infants. Human infants recognize the facial features of the individuals feeding them during the feeding. This recognition provides a comfort to the infant and assists in the efficiency of the feeding.
When animals nurse, the infant animal does not view the facial features of the animal mother. The infant animal relies upon its sense of smell to identify the animal""s mother and receives comfort from nuzzling with the animal mother during nursing. When the bottle and nipple artificial nursing system is implemented with infant animals, the infant animals have difficulty in identifying the bottle and nipple as a feeding device due to the absence of any scent. Further, if the infant animal accepts the bottle and nipple, the animal""s natural action of nuzzling is impeded by the hard plastic or glass of the bottle and nipple.
Therefore, any advancement in the ability to provide a more natural and efficient artificial nursing system would be greatly appreciated.
An artificial nursing system for use by an infant animal is disclosed. The nursing system comprises a feeding bottle, a nipple and a sleeve. The feeding bottle has a top end and a bottom end, the top end of the feeding bottle is attached to the nipple. A sleeve envelopes the feeding bottle, the sleeve comprises a first section made film an elastic material, wherein the elastic material constricts around the feeding bottle and a second section fixedly attached to the first section, the second section is made from a scent accepting fabric and surrounds the nipple. The first and second sections allow the infant animal to grip the feeding bottle and nipple and the constriction of the first section of the sleeve attaches the sleeve to the feeding bottle.